Policy experts in the United States attended an online event hosted by the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of (NCRI) U.S. Representative Office on Friday, May 25, assessing the threats posed by the mullahs’ regime in Iran and weighing the prospects for change in Iran.
In the conference, which was moderated by NCRIUS Deputy Director Alireza Jafarzadeh, the speakers especially touched on the Iranian people’s aspirations for freedom and democracy in the new Iranian calendar year that began on March 21.
Iranian opposition NCRI-US Online Conference
Policy Experts to Assess Tehran's Threat, Prospects for Change in #Iran
Iranians’ Aspirations for Freedom and Democracy in the New Iranian Year#ViennaTalkshttps://t.co/9XWz3jN0Hz
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 25, 2022
The list of distinguished guest speakers consisted of the following dignitaries, seen here in alphabetical order:
- Amb. Lincoln Bloomfield, Jr., former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs;
- Dr. Steven Bucci, visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation
- Amb. Joseph DeTrani, former Special Adviser to the Director of National Intelligence
- Amb. Paula Dobriansky, former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
- Amb. Robert G. Joseph, former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control & International Security
- Hon. Michael Mukasey, 81st Attorney General of the United States
- Dr. Behzad Raofi, Chief Validation Engineer for Space Missions
- Amb. Mitchell Reiss, former Director of Policy Planning at the State Department
- Mr. Jonathan Ruhe, JINSA Director of Foreign Policy
- Ms. Soona Samsami, U.S. Representative, National Council of Resistance of Iran
- Hon. David Shedd, former Acting Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
- Dr. Siamack Shojai, Professor of Business, William Paterson University
- Hon. Robert G. Torricelli, former Democratic Senator from New Jersey and
- General (ret.) Chuck F. Wald, former Deputy Commander of United States European Command
“Let us express hope that with the start of the 15th century of the Persian Calendar, a century of monarchic dictatorship and religious tyranny comes to an end, and freedom and democracy flourish in Iran,” said Ms. Soona Samsami, NCRI U.S. Representative in her remarks during Friday’s online conference.
As nuclear talks in Vienna continue, the panel members shared their expertise on the Iranian regime clandestine nuclear weapons program, ballistic missile and UAV/drone initiatives, its escalating support for proxy terror groups through the Middle East, and its role in supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine by siding with the unprovoked war that has the world appalled of naked acts of aggression.
“Think of the effect of taking the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) off the list. That would in effect be the United States saying that the IRGC, which is one of the two entities responsible for Iran’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism, that the IRGC is not itself a terrorist organization,” said Judge Michael Mukasey, the 81st Attorney General of the United States. “The IRGC, in essence, will have been given the Good Housekeeping seal of approval by the U.S. government, such that no person or entity need have the slightest hesitation in providing resources or financing to the IRGC, banking services, or material to use in constructing weapons because the United States government has certified that it is not, or at least that it is no longer a foreign terrorist organization,” he added.
Hon. Michael Mukasey ex-US AG: Removing the IRGC from the FTO would be the worst decision. The U.S. Congress should review the #IranNuclearTalks as a treaty and take it down. https://t.co/KfA4dXIQms
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 25, 2022
The state of the Iranian regime, its weaknesses and vulnerabilities, the current situation of protests across the country and the desire of the Iranian people for change were evaluated by the policy experts.
“The Iranian regime will never, will never give up its nuclear weapons program. It is a weak regime. It is a desperate regime at war with its people,” said Amb. Robert Joseph, former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control & International Security. “It seizes the lesson from Gaddafi and Libya and likely now from Ukraine that it must have a nuclear weapons capability as a guarantee to deter outside intervention in the civil conflict that is certain to come as the Iranian people rise up in their demand for freedom and dignity. It is this basic fact that should guide U.S. policy, providing hope and assistance to the Iranian opposition, not a lifeline to the mullahs,” he emphasized.
Amb. Joseph: Iran is a desperate and weak regime at war with its own people. It needs a nuclear bomb as a guarantee to deter outside intervention if the Iranian people rise up in their demand for freedom and dignity. #IranNuclearTalkshttps://t.co/PpplWyGwDQ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 25, 2022
Finally, the experts weighed in on how U.S. policy should be adapted to counter the entirety of the Iranian regime’s belligerence, while assisting the people of Iran to realize freedom as the world has risen to the support of the people in Ukraine who are courageously fighting for their freedom in the face of Putin’s bombings and occupying forces.
“Like in the original [nuclear] deal, the Iranian regime will receive something roughly on the order of a hundred billion dollars in various forms of sanction relief, which as we’ve heard from other panelists would be an unmerited lifeline of cash for a weak regime,” said Jonathan Ruhe, JINSA Director of Foreign Policy. “Just as it did when the original deal came out, the regime can be expected to spend most of this money on fomenting instability abroad, especially around the Middle East, as opposed to spending it at home where the money is desperately needed to reverse and address the regime’s incredible mismanagement of Iran’s economy, natural resources, and its human capital,” he concluded.
.@JCB_Ruhe: Under the new deal, #Iran will have a 6-months breakout time. Iran will receive an unlimited lifeline of cash, and it will use it for its malign activities. The new deal paves the way for the regime to build nuclear weapons & spread terrorism. https://t.co/ZgXi95KI8y
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 25, 2022
It is worth noting that the U.S. Congress has played a significant role to this day as key Democratic and Republican push for a firm and decisive policy vis-à-vis Iran.
